Clacton: Duo to be sentenced over stabbing

TWO men are due to be sentenced next month after being found guilty of assault charges following a stabbing in Clacton.

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Police had been contacted by the ambulance service shortly after 6am on Thursday, March 15 following reports that a man in his 20s had been stabbed several times on Dudley Road. Officers arrived to find a man with multiple injuries. He is now out of hospital and slowly recovering.

Edwin Schreech-Powell, a 30-year-old chef from Garth Road in South Ockendon, was originally arrested in March and re-arrested in July before being charged with a number of offences.

Dale Frame, a 26-year-old window-fitter from Broxburn Drive in South Ockendon, was arrested in March and subsequently charged with multiple offences.

Following an eight-week trial at Chelmsford Crown Court, both men were convicted of one count of conspiring to cause grievous bodily harm.

On Monday they were remanded in court custody prior to their sentencing back at the same crown court in December.

Senior Investigating Officer, DI Anne Cameron, said: “This case starkly illustrates the dangers of knife crime and its culture. The victim was injured by violent men who were seeking retribution.

“They came to Clacton intent on violence and stabbed the victim a number of times before fleeing the scene. This attack had been planned for weeks. If it were not for the actions of his neighbours and paramedics, the victim would have died.

“The two men who were found guilty now face the prospect of a long sentence. We would like to express our gratitude to all the witnesses who came forward and gave evidence in court. We would also like to thank the law-abiding residents of Clacton for their co-operation from the very beginning through to this day and beyond.

“They themselves have shown that neighbourhood policing works, having built up an excellent rapport with the police officers and PCSOs who patrol the seaside resort. Our thoughts today are with the victim and his family who have to live with the consequences of this act of mindless violence.”

Two other men who had also been standing trial for a variety of offences in connection with the stabbing were acquitted.

Dramatic increases in the average age of people in Suffolk have been highlighted in a report which reveals that in some areas nearly one in 10 are expected to be aged 85 or over in the next two decades.